I Believe… (The Creed, Part 1)

[This devotion is part of our series on The Apostles’ Creed, you can find all the videos in there series on our Apostles’ Creed Page. The devotions will be added as they are posted.]

Watch on YouTube

Sunday after Sunday we gather together, we all stand up as Christians and we say together: I believe. But what does it really mean to say I believe?

I was watching TikTok a couple of weeks ago, and there was this one thread about how to get out of a speeding ticket. So they tell you this: if you get pulled over by the police officer and he comes up to your door and he asks you the question, do you know how fast you’re going? They said, you’re supposed to answer this way. I believe I was going the speed limit. I believe.

It’s interesting that they strategically use the word believe there so that the officer can’t contradict you. Neither can he accuse you of lying. And even if you know that you’re lying, no one’s able to call you out on that. Isn’t it interesting that that’s how our culture has reduced belief into. We’ve reduced it into a lie that we tell ourselves. It’s so interesting.

So many people today say it doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something. As long as you believe that there’s a higher power. As long as you believe that God is love. As long as you believe, you can believe you’re a cat. Or you can believe you’re a woman trapped in a man’s body just as long as you believe.

But as a Christian, when you stand up and you say, I believe you’re saying that these statements that are going to follow these statements that are part of the creed are so important to me that I not only stake my life on them in this life, but I’m staking my eternity, my eternal life, on the fact that these are true. And isn’t that a beautiful thing? That week after week, you and I can stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Christ and together confess I believe in a triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that He’s the God of my salvation who sent Jesus to suffer and die on the cross for me. I believe he is the God who planted faith in my heart and gives me eternal life in heaven.

And what’s beautiful is you’re not only saying that this is what I personally believe, but when you say those words, you’re saying the common faith that all Christians have together. You’re confessing the faith of the church eternal. Now, it is easy to confess when we’re in a room full of people who agree with us. My prayer for you today is to not only be thoughtful about how we use the word believe, but my prayer for you is to be courageous so that when you’re out there in the world and someone turns to you and asks you, what about you? Are you his disciple too? That you have the courage to stand up and say, I believe. Amen.